


In the darkness, we find hope

by Sanctitatem



Category: Berena - Fandom, Chandler & Co (TV), Silent Witness (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Hauntober, Moonlight, RRCMV, Russell Redgrave Cinematic Universe, Tea, part of the Redgrave Russell Cinematic Multiverse (RRCMV), prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26851528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanctitatem/pseuds/Sanctitatem
Summary: Elly returns home after a long weekend working.What does she find?
Relationships: Elly Chandler/Jill Raymond
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28
Collections: The Redgrave Russell Cinematic Multiverse (RRCMV)





	In the darkness, we find hope

**Author's Note:**

> Combining two hauntober prompts together for this one.  
> Moonlight and Tea.  
> Enjoy :)

It was past midnight by the time Elly tiredly trudged up the two flights of stairs that led to her front door. Pausing, in the dimly lit hallway, she rummaged around her bag for her keys before taking the last few steps towards home.

It had been a long weekend. She’d had to keep radio silence for much of it, only allowing herself the luxury of updating Kate twice over the two days. It had been enough to convince Kate of her safety and wellbeing. But Elly doubted that it would convince everyone. Still, that was a hurdle to jump tomorrow. For now, all she wanted was a bath and bed.

Slowly, she turned the key in the lock and heard the familiar click in her door. Pushing against the smooth wood, she slipped inside before making sure the door was locked behind her. After the incident in the hotel room, Elly could never be too careful about her safety. Sometimes she could still feel the restraints against her wrists, but she worked hard to push those thoughts to the side whenever they threatened to rear their ugly heads.

Shrugging her bag off, along with her heavy leather jacket, Elly sighed as she moved through her flat. Deciding that the lights would be too harsh for her eyes, she left them off and relied on the moonlight that beamed through uncovered windows on her way into her kitchen. So engrossed in her own thoughts, decompressing after the events of the day, she didn’t notice the solemn figure sat at her kitchen table.

“Still alive then,” came a quiet comment that caused Elly’s heart to jump into her throat.

Turning, with a sudden gasp, she walked backwards until she collided painfully with the countertop behind her. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the kitchen. The moonlight didn’t penetrate to the far side of the table, so it was with some difficulty that Elly started to make out the blonde hair and familiar eyes looking at her. Hand clutching at her chest, she watched as the figure moved from the table and into the light, only letting out a sigh of relief when she realised who was in her flat.

“Thanks for the heart attack,” she muttered, rubbing the small of her back as she leant against the cabinet she’d walked into.

The buttons of Jill’s waistcoat glinted as she moved; the dark discs looking like jewels. Hands that had been stuffed into trouser pockets reached out for Elly – concern deeply etched into her features.

“You could have at least put a light on,” Elly continued, her hands otherwise too occupied to accept Jill’s offer. “Sat in the dark. You could have been anyone.”

Flashes of that man, holding out a glass of wine, suddenly filled her thoughts and Elly bristled. Bile rose up her throat and she turned from Jill. Elbows planting on the countertop, she pressed the balls of her hands into her eyes as she tried to force those memories away. A gentle hand started to rub up and down her back and it was with that movement, the contact from the other woman, that Elly’s breathing started to calm.

“It didn’t seem that dark to me,” was all the explanation she got and knew she would get. “You had me worried.”

Jill’s stoicism remained but Elly knew what fed the undercurrent to those words. Since they’d met, through one of Elly’s cases, they’d got to know each other well. It was why Jill had a key to Elly’s flat. It was why any anger Elly felt at the unannounced intrusion quickly fell away in the same way that her walls did whenever she was around Jill. Something neither Larry nor Mark had managed.

“I couldn’t use my phone. My cover would have been blown.”

Straightening up, Elly finally turned to meet the deep brown eyes that were fixed on her. Offering a small smile, Elly hooked a finger into the small pocket on the woman’s waistcoat before tugging her over.

“I’m all right. I promise.”

Scrutinising Elly, Jill raised a hand to brush through the younger woman’s hair in a subtly possessive gesture before tucking a few of the strands behind the brunette’s ear.

“I know,” she murmured before leaning in to press a sure and commanding kiss to Elly’s lips. In the process Elly ended up trapped between the countertop and Jill’s body, but she couldn’t seem to mind. The strong, solid, body holding her in place seemed to be exactly what Elly needed. Jill always seemed to know what Elly needed.

Foreheads pressed together; Elly rubbed her nose against Jill’s as she smiled more freely than before.

“Fancy a cup of tea? I was about to make one myself,” her voice was soft, just above a whisper. In the darkness it felt wrong to be any louder, as if some force of the night had bewitched them. Spellbound, the pair stayed in each other’s embrace until Jill nodded and pulled back. It gave Elly space to pull out two over-sized mugs from her cupboard. Reaching over, she grabbed the kettle, in order to fill it, and then turned it on to boil.

A short time later they sat, bathed in the light from the moon. Their hands mirrored each other as they clasped their mugs in front of them. Steam drifted up and seemed to entwine in the space between them as peace descended.

“The case went well. I was able to gather all the information I needed. It would seem that my client’s fears **_were_** founded.” Elly tried to infuse her words with hope but couldn’t rid herself of all her sorrow for the woman whose husband had cheated. There was a heaviness in her eyes and tightness in her jaw. Sometimes these cases hit just a little too close to home.

Watching Elly with steady eyes, Jill offered a hum of approval as her eyes spoke volumes of her understanding. She knew, of course, about Elly’s history and her work. It had come up early on in their relationship. It was the root cause of Elly’s trust issues, amongst other things, and Jill being Jill, she knew just what to say to get the answers she sought.

It was the one thing that had surprised Elly the most: how easily she’d grown to trust Jill. Time had helped but there was something about the woman. She made Elly feel protected, safe, worthy. Feelings she had not felt in such a long time.

“There was a report of an attack. Near where you said you’d be working,” Jill said softly, and Elly’s eyes widened in understanding. That was why Jill was here, in her place, in the dead of night. She’d been unreachable and Jill had needed to know she was safe.

Letting go of her mug, Elly found herself self-consciously rubbing one of her wrists. Noting the action, Jill carefully reached over to still Elly’s hand. Pulling it away, the blonde replaced it with her own. Long fingers slid over Elly’s palm before settling over the brunette’s pulse point. Jill’s hand was warm against Elly’s, heat from the tea having suffused into skin. Eyes fluttering closed, Elly’s lips turned upwards in a tight smile as she focused on the pads of Jill's fingers. She felt the other woman draw patterns against her skin until she was sure she could feel the letters J, I, L, and L, being traced there.

To some that might be perceived as something too possessive or controlling. For Elly it created a fluttering in her stomach; she understood what it meant. Unconditional love surged through her for the older woman as her eyes reopened. Feeling safe in Jill’s gaze, Elly let her fingers move against the blonde’s wrist and copied the action. Tracing her name against the sensitive skin, just above the blonde’s watch strap, Elly couldn’t stop the happy, light, giggle that ran up her throat.

“Will you stay tonight?” Elly asked, sure of Jill’s answer before she heard it.

“If that’s all right with you.”

Jill didn’t want to leave Elly so soon and Elly didn’t want Jill to leave. Gone were the thoughts of a bath with her tea. All Elly wanted now was to drift off in Jill’s arms, safe in the knowledge that she wasn’t alone.

Sipping her tea, their hands still touching, Elly was suddenly filled with hope. No matter what her job told her, perhaps it wasn’t all darkness and despair. There was a chance, no matter how small, for happiness: for love. Gazing at Jill, Elly knew it was a chance she wasn’t ready to give up on. With Jill there was hope.

It wasn’t until they were both tangled up in Elly’s bed that the buzz of happiness softened into tranquil contentment. Long arms wrapped around her and soft puffs of breath against her hair, Elly drifted off into an untroubled sleep – her heart finally healing in the hands of the quiet and commanding detective.


End file.
